German FA turns down proposal to boycott World Cup as Trump rebuke: ‘sports policy debates should happen internally, not publicly’

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The German soccer federation has dismissed the idea of boycotting the  even though there were internal calls to send a message to U.S. President Donald Trump.

“We believe in sport’s unifying power and the global impact a FIFA World Cup can have,” the federation said in a late Friday statement. “Our goal is to reinforce this positive force — not hinder it.”

The federation, known as the DFB, stated that its executive committee had met and discussed the option of boycotting the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, a consideration first .

Göttlich, who also serves as president of Bundesliga club St. Pauli, referenced Trump’s recent actions and statements and said it was time to “seriously consider” a boycott.

However, in what seems like a public rebuke of Göttlich, the DFB stated: “Debates on sports policy should be held internally, not in public.”

The DFB added that a boycott “is not currently under consideration. The DFB is in touch with representatives from politics, security, business, and sports to prepare for the tournament” from June 11-July 19.

Trump has sown division in Europe through his  and threats to impose tariffs on European nations that opposed it, while U.S. actions in Venezuela and domestic handling of  have also sparked concern.

Last week, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter  from the tournament.

During his presidency, though, Blatter opposed calls to boycott the 2018 World Cup in Russia due to concerns about Ukraine.

“Football cannot be boycotted in any country,” he said at the time.

Ahead of this summer’s tournament, fans have concerns about , and travel bans imposed by the Trump administration could also  from some competing nations from attending.

At the very least, Germany’s team will be present.

“We want to compete fairly against the other qualified teams next summer,” the DFB said. “And we want fans around the world to celebrate a peaceful football festival in the stadiums and fan zones — just as we did at the 2024 European Championship in our home country.”